Piezoelectric/electrostrictive device and method of manufacturing same

ABSTRACT

A piezoelectric/electrostrictive device including a pair of mutually opposing thin plate sections and a fixation section for supporting the thin plate sections. A piezoelectric/electrostrictive element is arranged on each of the pair of thin plate sections. Movable sections, having mutually opposing end surfaces, are formed proximate the ends of the thin plate sections. A distance between the end surfaces is not less than a length of the movable sections.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.10/067,958, filed Feb. 5, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,476,538 which is adivision of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/671,669, filed Sep. 27, 2000,now U.S. Pat. No. 6,534,898 which is a continuation of U.S. applicationSer. No. 09/524,042, filed Mar. 13, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,419and which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.60/210,246, filed Jun. 8, 2000, the entireties of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a piezoelectric/electrostrictive devicewhich is provided with a movable section to be operated on the basis ofa displacement action of a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element, or apiezoelectric/electrostrictive device which is capable of detectingdisplacement of a movable section by the aid of apiezoelectric/electrostrictive element, and a method for producing thesame. In particular, the present invention relates to apiezoelectric/electrostrictive device which is excellent in strength,shock resistance, and moisture resistance and which makes it possible toefficiently operate a movable section to a great extent, and a methodfor producing the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, a displacement element, which makes it possible to adjustoptical path length and position on the order of submicrons, isrequired, for example, in the fields of optics, magnetic recording, andprecision machining. Development is advanced for the displacementelement based on the use of the displacement brought about by theinverse piezoelectric effect or the electrostrictive effect caused whena voltage is applied to a piezoelectric/electrostrictive material (forexample, a ferroelectric material).

As shown in FIG. 41, for example, those hitherto disclosed as such adisplacement element include a piezoelectric actuator comprising afixation section 204, a movable section 206, and a beam section 208 forsupporting them which are formed in an integrated manner with a hole 202provided through a plate-shaped member 200 composed of apiezoelectric/electrostrictive material and with an electrode layer 210provided on the beam section 208 (see, for example, Japanese Laid-OpenPatent Publication No. 10-136665).

The piezoelectric actuator is operated such that when a voltage isapplied to the electrode layer 210, the beam section 208 makes expansionand contraction in a direction along a line obtained by connecting thefixation section 204 and the movable section 206 in accordance with theinverse piezoelectric effect or the electrostrictive effect. Therefore,the movable section 206 can perform circular arc-shaped displacement orrotational displacement in the plane of the plate-shaped member 200.

On the other hand, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 63-64640discloses a technique in relation to an actuator based on the use of abimorph. In this technique, electrodes for the bimorph are provided in adivided manner. The actuator is driven due to the selection of thedivided electrodes, and thus the highly accurate positioning isperformed at a high speed. This patent document (especially in FIG. 4)discloses a structure in which, for example, two bimorphs are used in anopposed manner.

However, the piezoelectric actuator described above involves such aproblem that the amount of operation of the movable section 206 issmall, because the displacement in the direction of expansion andcontraction of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive material (i.e., in thein-plane direction of the plate-shaped member 200) is transmitted to themovable section 206 as it is.

All of the parts of the piezoelectric actuator are made of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive material which is a fragile materialhaving a relatively heavy weight. Therefore, the following problemsarise. That is, the mechanical strength is low, and the piezoelectricactuator is inferior in handling performance, shock resistance, andmoisture resistance. Further, the piezoelectric actuator itself isheavy, and its operation tends to be affected by harmful vibrations (forexample, residual vibration and noise vibration during high speedoperation).

In order to solve the problems described above, it has been suggestedthat the hole 202 is filled with a filler material having flexibility.However, it is clear that the amount of displacement, which is broughtabout by the inverse piezoelectric effect or the electrostrictiveeffect, is decreased even when the filler material is used.

Further, the actuator described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent PublicationNo. 63-64640 has such a structure that the bimorph itself is composed oftwo piezoelectric elements which are laminated with each other, inaddition to the fact that the bimorph is stuck to a fixation member or amediating member. Therefore, the stress tends to remain, resulting from,for example, the curing and the shrinkage of an adhesive and the heatingtreatment required for the sticking and the lamination. It is fearedthat the displacement action is disturbed by the internal residualstress, and it is impossible to realize the displacement and theresonance frequency as designed. Especially, when the actuator is smallin size, the influence of the adhesive is increased by itself.

Accordingly, a method is conceived in order to exclude the influence ofthe adhesive required to effect the sticking, in which the actuator iscomposed of, for example, an integrated sintered product made ofceramics to give a structure in which no adhesive is used. However, alsoin this case, it is inevitably feared that the internal residual stressarises due to the difference in behavior of thermal shrinkage betweenrespective members during the sintering.

Further, when the actuator is small in size, a problem is involved suchthat the fixation property of the actuator and the attachment propertyof the actuator to another part are deficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made taking the foregoing problems intoconsideration, an object of which is to provide apiezoelectric/electrostrictive device and a method for producing thesame which make it possible to obtain a displacement element that isscarcely affected by harmful vibration and capable of high speedresponse with high mechanical strength while being excellent in handlingperformance, shock resistance, and moisture resistance, making itpossible to realize a light weight of the device, especially a lightweight of a movable section or a fixation section, and improve thehandling performance of the device and the attachment performance forparts to be attached to the movable section or the fixation performanceof the device, so that the movable section may be greatly displaced at arelatively low voltage, and it is possible to achieve a high speed ofthe displacement action of the device, especially of the movable section(realization of a high resonance frequency), as well as a sensor elementwhich makes it possible to accurately detect vibration of the movablesection.

According to the present invention, there is provided apiezoelectric/electrostrictive device comprising a pair of mutuallyopposing thin plate sections and a fixation section for supporting thethin plate sections; movable sections provided at forward end portionsof the pair of thin plate sections; and one or morepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements arranged on at least one thinplate section of the pair of thin plate sections; wherein any one of themovable sections and the fixation section has mutually opposing endsurfaces and a distance between the end surfaces is not less than alength of the movable section.

The movable section, the fixation section, and the thin plate sectionmay be made of ceramics or metal. Alternatively, each of the componentsmay be made of a ceramic material, or each of them may be made of ametal material. Further, each of the components may be constructed tohave a hybrid structure obtained by combining those produced frommaterials of ceramics and metal.

It is also preferable that any one of the movable section and thefixation section is provided with a cutoff section; and a part of thecutoff section constitutes the mutually opposing end surfaces. It isalso preferable that the thin plate section, the movable section, andthe fixation section are composed of a ceramic substrate integrated intoone unit by co-firing a ceramic green laminate and cutting offunnecessary portions. It is also preferable that thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element has a film-shaped configuration,and it is integrated with the ceramic substrate by means of sintering.

In this arrangement, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element may havea piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer and a pair of electrodes formedon the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer. It is also preferable thatthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive element has apiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer and a pair of electrodes formed onboth sides of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer, and oneelectrode of the pair of electrodes is formed on at least the thin platesection. In this arrangement, the vibration caused by thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element can be efficiently transmittedvia the thin plate section to the movable section or the fixationsection. Thus, it is possible to improve the response performance.Especially, it is preferable that the piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelement is constructed in a stacked form comprising a plurality of unitseach including the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer and the pair ofelectrodes.

When the arrangement as described above is adopted, the generated forceof the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element is increased, and thus itis possible to obtain large displacement. Further, it is possible toobtain a high resonance frequency owing to the increase in rigidity ofthe device itself, making it easy to achieve the high speed of thedisplacement action.

It is also preferable that a gap is formed between the mutually opposingend surfaces. It is also preferable that a member which is the same as aconstitutive member of any one of the movable section and the fixationsection, or a plurality of members which are different therefrom areinterposed between the mutually opposing end surfaces, the same memberor the different members including, for example, glass, cement, andorganic resin, preferably organic resin such as those based on epoxy,acrylic, polyimide, phenol, silicone, terpene, xylene, styrene,melamine, methacrylic, and rubber, or mixture or copolymer thereof.Especially, in view of, for example, the joining performance, thehandling performance, and the hardness, it is preferable to alloworganic resin or the like based on epoxy, acrylic, and methacrylic tointervene. In order to further enhance the hardness, it is alsopreferable to mix a filler such as an inorganic material.

Especially, it is possible to effectively realize a light weight of themovable section or the fixation section by forming the gap between themutually opposing end surfaces, allowing the member lighter than theconstitutive member of the movable section or the fixation section tointervene between the mutually opposing end surfaces, or joining the endsurfaces with small one of the members described above. Accordingly, itis possible to increase the resonance frequency without decreasing theamount of displacement of the movable section or the fixation section.

When the gap is formed between the mutually opposing end surfaces, apart of the movable section or the fixation section including one endsurface and another part of the movable section or the fixation sectionincluding the other end surface are more flexible, resulting in strongresistance to the deformation. Therefore, it is possible to obtainexcellent handling performance of the piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevice.

Further, the distance between the end surfaces is not less than thelength of the movable section. Therefore, the attachment area can beincreased, when another part is attached to the movable section. Thus,it is possible to improve the attachment performance for the part. It isnow assumed that the part is secured, for example, with an adhesive orthe like. The part can be held by being interposed on the both sides.Thus, it is possible to reliably secure the part.

When the part is held by being interposed on the both sides, the heightof the part and the height of the movable section are not simply added.Accordingly, it is possible to maintain the height of the wholeincluding the part to be low. Further, the length of the movable sectioncan be made smaller than the distance on the side of the end surface.Therefore, the physical property of an adhesive or the like for stickingor bonding the part effectively makes the action. Thus, it is possibleto increase the displacement.

On the other hand, when the fixation section has the mutually opposingend surfaces, it is possible to strongly fix thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to this invention to apredetermined fixation portion. Thus, it is possible to improve thereliability.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possibleto obtain the displacement element which is scarcely affected by harmfulvibration and capable of high speed response with high mechanicalstrength while being excellent in handling performance, shockresistance, and moisture resistance, making it possible to realize alight weight of the device, especially a light weight of the movablesection or the fixation section, and improve the handling performance ofthe device as well as the attachment performance for parts to beattached to the movable section, the miniaturization, and the fixationperformance of the device, so that the movable section may be greatlydisplaced, and it is possible to achieve a high speed of thedisplacement action of the movable section (realization of a highresonance frequency), as well as the sensor element which makes itpossible to accurately detect vibration of the movable section.

In the production of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device, forexample, when the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element is formed on aceramic laminate (obtained by laminating ceramic green sheets followedby sintering into one unit), for example, by means of lamination or theintegrated sintering based on the use of the film formation method asdescribed later on, the internal residual stress is generated at aportion to be formed into the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elementand/or the thin plate section. Especially, when thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element is formed on the ceramic laminateby means of the integrated sintering, the internal residual stress tendsto be generated at the portion to be converted into thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element and/or the thin plate section,due to the shrinkage and the difference in coefficient of thermalexpansion of the constitutive members caused during the sintering.

If the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device is produced and usedstarting from this state, the movable section does not exhibit thedesired displacement in some cases, even when a predetermined electricfield is applied to the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer forconstructing the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element, because of thefollowing reason. That is, the material characteristic of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer and the displacement action of themovable section are inhibited by the internal residual stress generatedin the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element and/or the thin platesection.

In the present invention, the mutually opposing end surfaces areprovided on any one of the movable section and the fixation section.Therefore, the distance between the end surfaces is, for example,shortened by the internal residual stress generated in thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element and/or the thin plate section.That is, the internal residual stress, which has been generated in thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element and/or the thin plate section, isreleased by the movement of the end surfaces.

Further, in the present invention, the distance between the end surfacesis made to be wide. Therefore, even when the distance between the endsurfaces is narrowed due to the internal residual stress, it is possibleto give a margin sufficient to attach another part between the endsurfaces.

As described above, in the present invention, the displacement action ofthe movable section is not inhibited by the internal residual stress. Itis possible to obtain the displacement action of the movable section asapproximately designed and expected. Additionally, the release of theinternal residual stress also makes it possible to improve themechanical strength of the device.

When a hole is formed by both inner walls of the pair of thin platesections, inner walls of the movable sections, inner walls of theplurality of members, and an inner wall of the fixation section, it isalso preferable that the hole is filled with a gel material. In thisarrangement, although the displacement action of the movable section isusually restricted due to the presence of the filler material, theinvention described above intends to reduce the weight as a result ofthe formation of the end surfaces on the movable section or the fixationsection, and increase the displacement amount of the movable section.Therefore, the restriction of the displacement action of the movablesection by the filler material is counteracted, and it is possible torealize the effect owing to the presence of the filler material, i.e.,the realization of the high resonance frequency and the maintenance ofthe rigidity.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda method for producing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive devicecomprising a pair of mutually opposing thin plate sections and afixation section for supporting the thin plate sections; movablesections provided at forward end portions of the pair of thin platesections; and one or more piezoelectric/electrostrictive elementsarranged on at least one thin plate section of the pair of thin platesections; the method comprising a step of forming the movable sectionsor the fixation section having mutually opposing end surfaces wherein adistance between the end surfaces is not less than a length of themovable section, by cutting off a predetermined part of any one of aportion to be formed into the movable sections or a portion to be formedinto the fixation section after producing at least thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element on the thin plate section.

As a result, there is provided the movable section or the fixationsection which has the mutually opposing end surfaces. Accordingly, theinternal residual stress, which has been generated in thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element and/or the thin plate sectionduring the production, is released, for example, by shortening thedistance between the end surfaces. Therefore, the displacement action ofthe movable section is not inhibited by the internal residual stress.

The phrase “after producing the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element”referred to herein indicates a state in which at least thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer is formed. As for the electrode tobe formed after the formation of the piezoelectric/electrostrictivelayer, the electrode may be formed after performing the cutoff to formthe movable section or the fixation section having the mutually opposingend surfaces.

The provision of the movable section or the fixation section having themutually opposing end surfaces realizes the light weight of the movablesection or the fixation section. Therefore, thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device, which makes it possible toincrease the resonance frequency, can be efficiently produced with easewithout decreasing the amount of displacement of the movable section.Thus, it is possible to realize the mass production of the highperformance piezoelectric/electrostrictive device.

Further, the movable section or the fixation section is bent moreflexibly, and it is strongly resistant to deformation. Therefore, thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device is excellent in handlingperformance. Owing to the presence of the mutually opposing end surfacesand the wide distance between the end surfaces, when another part isattached to the movable section, it is possible to provide a largeattachment area therefor. Thus, it is possible to improve the attachmentperformance for the part. When a part is interposed and bonded, it ispossible to improve the displacement.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a method for producing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive devicecomprising a pair of mutually opposing thin plate sections and afixation section for supporting the thin plate sections; movablesections provided at forward end portions of the pair of thin platesections; and one or more piezoelectric/electrostrictive elementsarranged on at least one thin plate section of the pair of thin platesections; the method comprising a step of producing a ceramic laminateby integrally sintering a ceramic green laminate including at least aceramic green sheet having a window and ceramic green sheets to beformed into the thin plate sections thereafter to produce the ceramiclaminate; a step of forming the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elementon an outer surface of a portion of the ceramic laminate to be formedinto the thin plate section; and a cutoff step of forming the movablesections or the fixation section having at least mutually opposing endsurfaces wherein a distance between the end surfaces is not less than alength of the movable section, by means of at least one time of cutofftreatment for the ceramic laminate formed with thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element.

Accordingly, in the production of the piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevice, especially when the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element isformed on the ceramic laminate by means of the sintering, the internalresidual stress, which is generated in thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element and/or the thin plate section,can be effectively released. Therefore, when thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device is produced by using the ceramicgreen sheet-laminating method, it is possible to realize the lightweight of the device, especially the light weight of the movable sectionor the fixation section, and improve the handling performance of thedevice, the attachment performance for parts to be attached to themovable section, and the fixation performance of the device. Thus, it ispossible to allow the movable section to make large displacement.

It is also preferable that in the step of producing the ceramiclaminate, the ceramic laminate is produced by integrally sintering aceramic green laminate including a plurality of ceramic green sheetseach having a window for forming the movable section or the fixationsection having at least the mutually opposing end surfaces, and theceramic green sheets to be formed into the thin plate sectionsthereafter to produce the ceramic laminate; and in the cutoff step, themovable section or the fixation section, which has at least the mutuallyopposing end surfaces and in which the distance between the end surfacesis not less than the length of the movable section, is formed by meansof the cutoff treatment for the ceramic laminate formed with thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element.

It is also preferable that in the step of producing the ceramiclaminate, the ceramic laminate is produced by integrally sintering aceramic green laminate including a plurality of ceramic green sheetseach having a window for forming a portion to be formed into the movablesection or a portion to be formed into the fixation section having atleast the mutually opposing end surfaces partially connected to oneanother, and the ceramic green sheets to be formed into the thin platesections thereafter to produce the ceramic laminate. In the cutoff step,the portion to be formed into the moveable section or the portion to beformed into the fixation section having at least the mutually opposingend surfaces partially connected to one another is formed by means ofthe cutoff treatment for the ceramic laminate formed with thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element, and the movable section or thefixation section, which has the mutually opposing end surfaces and inwhich the distance between the end surfaces is not less than the lengthof the movable section, is formed by cutting off the connecting portion.

It is also preferable that the production method further comprises astep of allowing a plurality of members different from a constitutivemember of the movable section or the fixation section to intervenebetween the mutually opposing end surfaces. In this case, organic resinmay be used as at least one member of the plurality of members.

Therefore, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device and the method forproducing the same according to the present invention can make the useof the active device including, for example, various transducers,various actuators, frequency region functional parts (filters),transformers, vibrators, resonators, oscillators, and discriminators forthe communication and the power generation, as well as the sensorelement for various sensors including, for example, ultrasonic sensors,acceleration sensors, angular velocity sensors, shock sensors, and masssensors. Especially, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device and themethod for producing the same according to the present invention can bepreferably utilized for various actuators to be used for the mechanismfor adjusting the displacement and the positioning and for adjusting theangle for various precision parts such as those of optical instrumentsand precision mechanical equipments.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent from the following description whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferredembodiment of the present invention is shown by way of illustrativeexample.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view illustrating an arrangement of apiezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 shows a magnified view illustrating a first modified embodimentof the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element;

FIG. 3 shows a magnified view illustrating a second modified embodimentof the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view illustrating, with partial omission, athird modified embodiment of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view illustrating, with partial omission, afourth modified embodiment of the piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelement;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view illustrating a first modified embodimentof the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to the embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view illustrating a second modifiedembodiment of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to theembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a situation in which both of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements do not make the displacementaction in the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to thesecond modified embodiment;

FIG. 9A shows a waveform illustrating a voltage waveform to be appliedto the first piezoelectric/electrostrictive element;

FIG. 9B shows a waveform illustrating a voltage waveform to be appliedto the second piezoelectric/electrostrictive element;

FIG. 10 illustrates a situation in which thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element makes the displacement action inthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to the secondmodified embodiment;

FIG. 11 shows a perspective view illustrating a third modifiedembodiment of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to theembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 shows a perspective view illustrating a fourth modifiedembodiment of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to theembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 shows a perspective view illustrating a fifth modifiedembodiment of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device;

FIG. 14 shows a perspective view illustrating a sixth modifiedembodiment of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device;

FIG. 15 shows a perspective view illustrating a seventh modifiedembodiment of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device;

FIG. 16 illustrates a process for laminating ceramic green sheetsrequired for a first production method;

FIG. 17 illustrates a state in the first production method in which aceramic green laminate is formed;

FIG. 18 illustrates a state in the first production method in which theceramic green laminate is converted into a sintered ceramic laminate,and then a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element is formed on theceramic laminate;

FIG. 19 illustrates an intermediate process in the first productionmethod in which the ceramic laminate is cut along predetermined cuttinglines to provide the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according tothe embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20A illustrates a state in which the internal residual stress isgenerated in the thin plate section and thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer;

FIG. 20B illustrates a state in which a central portion of a movablesection is cut off;

FIG. 21 illustrates a process for laminating ceramic green sheetsrequired for a second production method;

FIG. 22 illustrates a state in the second production method in which aceramic green laminate is formed;

FIG. 23 illustrates a state in the second production method in which theceramic green laminate is converted into a sintered ceramic laminate,and then a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element is formed on theceramic laminate;

FIG. 24 illustrates a state in the second production method in which theceramic laminate is cut along predetermined cutting lines to provide thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to the embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 25 illustrates a process for laminating ceramic green sheetsrequired for a third production method;

FIG. 26 illustrates a state in the third production method in which aceramic green laminate is formed;

FIG. 27 illustrates a state in the third production method in which theceramic green laminate is converted into a sintered ceramic laminate,and then a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element is formed on theceramic laminate;

FIG. 28 illustrates an intermediate process in the third productionmethod in which the ceramic laminate is cut along predetermined cuttinglines to provide the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according tothe embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 29 illustrates a process for laminating ceramic green sheetsrequired for a fourth production method;

FIG. 30 illustrates a state in the fourth production method in which aceramic green laminate is formed;

FIG. 31 illustrates a state in the fourth production method in which theceramic green laminate is converted into a sintered ceramic laminate,and then a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element is formed on theceramic laminate;

FIG. 32 illustrates an intermediate process in the fourth productionmethod in which the ceramic laminate is cut along predetermined cuttinglines to provide the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according tothe embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 33 illustrates a process for laminating ceramic green sheetsrequired for a fifth production method;

FIG. 34 illustrates a state in the fifth production method in which aceramic green laminate is formed;

FIG. 35 illustrates a state in the fifth production method in which theceramic green laminate is sintered into a ceramic laminate;

FIG. 36 illustrates a state in the fifth production method in whichpiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements, which are constructed asseparate members, are bonded to surfaces of metal plates to serve asthin plate sections respectively;

FIG. 37 illustrates a state in the fifth production method in which themetal plate is bonded to the ceramic laminate to provide a hybridlaminate;

FIG. 38 illustrates a state in the fifth production method in which thehybrid laminate is cut along predetermined cutting lines to provide apiezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to an eighth modifiedembodiment;

FIG. 39 illustrates a state in a sixth production method in which aceramic green laminate is sintered into a ceramic laminate, and then ahole is filled with a filler material;

FIG. 40 illustrates a state in the sixth production method in which themetal plates to serve as thin plate sections respectively are bonded tothe ceramic laminate to provide a hybrid laminate; and

FIG. 41 shows an arrangement of a piezoelectric/electrostrictive deviceconcerning an illustrative conventional technique.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Explanation will be made below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 40 forillustrative embodiments of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive deviceand the production method for the same according to the presentinvention.

It is noted that the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device resides in aconcept which includes the element for mutually converting the electricenergy and the mechanical energy by the aid of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element. Therefore, thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device is most preferably used as theactive element such as various actuators and vibrators, especially asthe displacement element based on the use of the displacement broughtabout by the inverse piezoelectric effect and the electrostrictiveeffect. Additionally, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device is alsopreferably used as the passive element such as acceleration sensorelements and shock sensor elements.

As shown in FIG. 1, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10according to this embodiment is provided with a substrate 16 whichcomprises, in an integrated manner, a pair of mutually opposing thinplate sections 12 a, 12 b, and a fixation section 14 for supporting thethin plate sections 12 a, 12 b. The piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevice 10 comprises piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 bwhich are formed at respective parts of the pair of thin plate sections12 a, 12 b.

In other words, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 isconstructed such that the pair of thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b aredisplaced in accordance with the driving of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element or elements 18 a and/or 18 b, orthe displacement of the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b is detected bythe piezoelectric/electrostrictive element or elements 18 a and/or 18 b.Therefore, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, actuator sections 19 a, 19b are constructed by the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b and thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b.

Further, respective forward end portions of the pair of thin platesections 12 a, 12 b are thick-walled toward the inside. The thick-walledportions function as movable sections 20 a, 20 b which are displaced inaccordance with the displacement action of the thin plate sections 12 a,12 b. The forward end portions of the pair of thin plate sections 12 a,12 b will be hereinafter referred to as “movable sections 20 a, 20 b”.

Those usable as the substrate 16 include a structure comprising ceramicsor metal as a whole, and a hybrid structure obtained by combiningproducts produced with materials of ceramics and metal.

Those adoptable for the substrate 16 include, for example, a structurein which respective parts are bonded to one another with an adhesivesuch as organic resin or glass or the like, a ceramic integratedstructure which is obtained by sintering and integrating a ceramic greenlaminate into one unit, and a metal integrated structure integrated, forexample, by brazing, soldering, eutectic bonding, or welding into oneunit. Preferably, it is desirable to construct the substrate 16 with aceramic laminate integrated into one unit by sintering a ceramic greenlaminate.

The time-dependent change of state scarcely occurs in the integratedproduct of ceramic, because no adhesive exists at joined portionsbetween the respective parts. Therefore, the reliability of the joinedportion is high, giving a structure which is advantageous to ensure therigidity. Additionally, the integrated product of ceramic can beproduced with ease by means of the method for laminating ceramic greensheets as described later on.

The piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b are prepared asseparate members as described later on, and the preparedpiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b are stuck to thesubstrate 16 with an adhesive such as organic resin or glass or by meansof, for example, brazing, soldering, or eutectic bonding. Alternatively,the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b are directlyformed on the substrate 16 by using the film formation method not byusing the sticking method described above.

The piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b comprises apiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22, and a pair of electrodes 24, 26which are formed on both sides of the piezoelectric/electrostrictivelayer 22. The first electrode 24 of the pair of electrodes 24, 26 isformed at least on the pair of thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b.

In the embodiment of the present invention, explanation will be madeprincipally for a case in which each of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 and the pair of electrodes 24,26 has a multilayered structure, the first electrode 24 and the secondelectrode 26 are alternately stacked with each other to give asubstantially comb-shaped cross section, and thus thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b is provided, which hasa multiple stage structure at a portion at which the first electrodes 24and the second electrodes 26 are overlapped with each other with thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 interposed therebetween.However, there is no limitation to the multilayered structure. Asingle-layered structure may be available. In this embodiment, thenumber of the multiple layers is not specifically limited. However, itis preferable to use not more than ten layers, and more preferably notmore than five layers.

FIG. 1 is illustrative of a case in which thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 has a three-layered structure,the first electrode 24 is formed to have a comb-shaped configuration tobe located at the lower surface of the first layer (side surface of thethin plate section 12 a, 12 b) and at the upper surface of the secondlayer, and the second electrode 26 is formed to have a comb-shapedconfiguration to be located at the upper surface of the first layer andat the upper surface of the third layer. In the case of thisarrangement, the number of terminals 28, 30 can be decreased by mutuallyconnecting the first electrodes 24 and the second electrodes 26respectively to be common. Therefore, the increase in size, which wouldbe otherwise caused by the multilayered structure of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b, can be suppressed.

The voltage is applied to the pair of electrodes 24, 26 via terminals(pads) 28, 30 of the respective electrodes 24, 26 formed on the bothside surfaces (element formation surfaces) of the fixation section 14respectively. The respective terminals 28, 30 are positioned as follows.That is, the terminal 28 corresponding to the first electrode 24 isformed at the position deviated toward the rearward end of the fixationsection 14. The terminal 30 corresponding to the second electrode 26disposed on the side of the external space is formed at the positiondeviated toward the inner wall of the fixation section 14.

In this embodiment, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 can beindividually fixed by utilizing the surfaces respectively different fromthe surfaces on which the terminals 28, 30 are arranged. As a result, itis possible to obtain the high reliability for both of the fixation ofthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 and the electric connectionbetween the circuit and the terminals 28, 30. In this arrangement, theelectric connection between the terminals 28, 30 and the circuit ismade, for example, by means of the flexible printed circuit (alsoreferred to as FPC), the flexible flat cable (also referred to as FFC),and the wire bonding.

When the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b having themultilayered structure is used as described above, then the drivingforce of the actuator section 19 a, 19 b is increased, and thus it ispossible to contemplate the large displacement. Further, the rigidity ofthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 itself is increased, andthus it is possible to realize the high resonance frequency, making iteasy to achieve the realization of a high speed of the displacementaction.

When the number of stages is increased, it is possible to increase thedriving force of the actuator sections 19 a, 19 b. However, the electricpower consumption is also increased in accordance therewith. Therefore,when the device is practically produced and used, for example, it ispreferable that the number of stages is appropriately determineddepending on the way of use and the state of use. In the case of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 according to this embodiment,even when the driving force of the actuator section 19 a, 19 b isincreased by using the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18b, the width of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b (distance in the Yaxis direction) is basically unchanged. Therefore, the device isextremely preferred to make application, for example, to the actuatorfor the purpose of the ringing control and the positioning of themagnetic head for the hard disk to be used in an extremely narrow gap.

Another example of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 bis preferably shown in FIG. 2. That is, thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 has a five-layered structure.The first electrode 24 is formed to have a comb-shaped configuration tobe located at the upper surface of the first layer, the upper surface ofthe third layer, and the upper surface of the fifth layer. The secondelectrode 26 is formed to have a comb-shaped configuration to be locatedat the upper surface of the second layer and the upper surface of thefourth layer.

Still another example is also available as shown in FIG. 3. That is, thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 is allowed to have afive-layered structure as well. The first electrode 24 is formed to havea comb-shaped configuration to be located at the upper surface of thefirst layer, the upper surface of the third layer, and the upper surfaceof the fifth layer. The second electrode 26 is formed to have acomb-shaped configuration to be located at the lower surface of thefirst layer, the upper surface of the second layer, and the uppersurface of the fourth layer.

The voltage is applied to the pair of electrodes 24, 26 via ends(hereinafter referred to as “terminal sections 24 a, 26 a) of therespective electrodes 24, 26 formed on the fifth layer of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22. The respective terminalsections 24 a, 26 a are formed and separated from each other in such adegree that they can be electrically insulated from each other.

The piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b described above isillustrative of the case of the construction of the so-called sandwichstructure in which the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 isallowed to intervene between the pair of electrodes 24, 26.Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, a pair of comb-shaped electrodes 24,26 may be formed on the first principal surface of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 formed on at least the sidesurface of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b. Further alternatively, asshown in FIG. 5, a pair of comb-shaped electrodes 24, 26 are formed andembedded in the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 formed on atleast the side surface of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b.

The structure shown in FIG. 4 is advantageous in that it is possible tosuppress the electric power consumption to be low. The structure shownin FIG. 5 makes it possible to effectively utilize the inversepiezoelectric effect in the direction of the electric field having largegenerated force and strain, which is advantageous to cause the largedisplacement.

Specifically, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 bshown in FIG. 4 comprises the pair of electrodes 24, 26 having thecomb-shaped structure formed on the first principal surface of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22. In this structure, the firstelectrode 24 and the second electrode 26 are mutually opposed to oneanother in an alternate manner with a gap 32 having a constant widthinterposed therebetween. FIG. 4 is illustrative of the case in which thepair of electrodes 24, 26 are formed on the first principal surface ofthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22. Alternatively, the pair ofelectrodes 24, 26 may be formed between the thin plate section 12 a, 12b and the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22. Furtheralternatively, the pair of comb-shaped electrodes 24, 26 may be formedon the first principal surface of the piezoelectric/electrostrictivelayer 22 and between the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b and thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 respectively.

On the other hand, in the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a,18 b shown in FIG. 5, the pair of electrodes 24, 26 having thecomb-shaped structure are formed so that they are embedded in thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22. In this structure, the firstelectrode 24 and the second electrode 26 are mutually opposed to oneanother in an alternate manner with a gap 32 having a constant widthinterposed therebetween.

The piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b as shown in FIGS.4 and 5 can be preferably used for the piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevice 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention as well.When the pair of comb-shaped electrodes 24, 26 are used as in thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b shown in FIGS. 4 and5, the displacement of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a,18 b can be increased by decreasing the pitch D of the comb teeth of therespective electrodes 24, 26.

The distance Lc between the mutually opposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 b ofthe movable sections 20 a, 20 b is not less than the length of themovable section 20 a, 20 b (correctly the length of the movable section20 a, 20 b in the Z axis direction) Df. For example, as shown in FIG. 1,a gap (air) 36 may be allowed to intervene between the end surfaces 34a, 34 b. Alternatively, as in piezoelectric/electrostrictive devices 10a, 10 b according to first and second modified embodiments shown inFIGS. 6 and 7, a plurality of members, which are composed of the samematerial as that of the constitutive member of the movable section 20 a,20 b or which are composed of a material different therefrom, may beallowed to intervene between the end surfaces 34 a, 34 b. In thisarrangement, the mutually opposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 b of therespective movable sections 20 a, 20 b function as attachment surfaces34 a, 34 b.

The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 a according to the firstmodified embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is illustrative of the followingcase. That is, the distance Lc between the attachment surfaces 34 a, 34b is set to be about 1.5-fold the length Df of the movable section 20 a,20 b. Further, three spacer members 37A, 37B, 37C, each of which has asubstantially identical thickness, are allowed to intervene between theattachment surfaces 34 a, 34 b.

The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 b according to the secondmodified embodiment shown in FIG. 7 is illustrative of the followingcase. That is, the distance Lc between the attachment surfaces 34 a, 34b is set to be about 1.5-fold the length Df of the movable section 20 a,20 b. Further, one large spacer member 37 is bonded between theattachment surfaces 34 a, 34 b by the aid of an adhesive 38.

Further, for example, in the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 baccording to the second modified embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, forexample, it is preferable that distances La, Lb from the central axis nof the spacer member 37 to the respective end surfaces 34 a, 34 b areapproximately identical to one another.

In the piezoelectric/electrostrictive devices 10 a, 10 b according tothe first and second modified embodiments, each of the three spacermembers 37A to 37C (see FIG. 6) and the spacer member 37 (see FIG. 7)has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped configuration.Each of the side surfaces (surfaces opposed to the movable sections 20a, 20 b of the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b) is set to have the areawhich is substantially the same as the area of each of the attachmentsurfaces 34 a, 34 b of the movable sections 20 a, 20 b of the thin platesections 12 a, 12 b.

The operation of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 baccording to the second modified embodiment will now be explained by wayof example. At first, when the two piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelements 18 a, 18 b are in the natural state, namely when both of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b do not make thedisplacement action, then the major axis m of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 b (major axis of the fixationsection 14) is substantially coincident with the central axis n of thespacer member 37 as shown in FIG. 8.

Starting from this state, for example, a sine wave Wa, which has apredetermined bias electric potential Vb, is applied to the pair ofelectrodes 24, 26 of the first piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18a as shown in a waveform figure shown in FIG. 9A, while a sine wave Wb,which has a phase different from that of the sine wave Wa by about 180°,is applied to the pair of electrodes 24, 26 of the secondpiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 b as shown in FIG. 9B.

The piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 of the firstpiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a makes the contractiondisplacement in the direction of the first principal surface at a stageat which, for example, a voltage having a maximum value is applied tothe pair of electrodes 24, 26 of the firstpiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a. Accordingly, as shown inFIG. 10, for example, the stress is generated for the first thin platesection 12 a to bend the thin plate section 12 a, for example, in therightward direction as shown by the arrow A. Therefore, the first thinplate section 12 a is bent in the rightward direction. At this time, astate is given, in which no voltage is applied to the pair of electrodes24, 26 of the second piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 b.Therefore, the second thin plate section 12 b follows the bending of thefirst thin plate section 12 a, and it is bent in the rightwarddirection. As a result, the movable sections 20 a, 20 b and the spacermember 37 are displaced, for example, in the rightward direction withrespect to the major axis m of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device10 b. The displacement amount is changed depending on the maximum valueof the voltage applied to each of the piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelements 18 a, 18 b. For example, the larger the maximum value is, thelarger the displacement amount is.

Especially, when a material having a high coercive electric field isapplied as the constitutive material for thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22, it is also preferable that thebias electric potential is adjusted so that the level of the minimumvalue is a slightly negative level as depicted by waveforms indicated bydashed lines in FIGS. 9A and 9B. In this case, for example, the stress,which is in the same direction as the bending direction of the firstthin plate section 12 a, is generated in the second thin plate section12 b by driving the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element (for example,the second piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 b) to which thenegative level is applied. Accordingly, it is possible to furtherincrease the displacement amount of the movable sections 20 a, 20 b andthe spacer member 37. In other words, when the waveforms indicated bythe dashed lines in FIGS. 9A and 9B are used, the device is allowed tohave such a function that the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18b or 18 a, to which the negative level is applied, supports thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a or 18 b which principallymakes the displacement action.

As described above, in the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10according to the embodiment of the present invention, the minutedisplacement of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b isamplified into the large displacement action by utilizing the bending ofthe thin plate section 12 a, 12 b, and it is transmitted to the movablesections 20 a, 20 b. Accordingly, it is possible to greatly displace themovable sections 20 a, 20 b with respect to the major axis m of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 b.

Especially, in this embodiment, the movable sections 20 a, 20 b areprovided with the mutually opposing attachment surfaces 34 a, 34 b. Inthis arrangement, the space between the mutually opposing attachmentsurfaces 34 a, 34 b is the gap 36. Alternatively, the member, which islighter than the constitutive member of the movable sections 20 a, 20 b,is allowed to intervene between the mutually opposing attachmentsurfaces 34 a, 34 b. Thus, it is possible to effectively realize thelight weight of the movable sections 20 a, 20 b. It is possible toincrease the resonance frequency without decreasing the displacementamount of the movable sections 20 a, 20 b.

The frequency herein indicates the frequency of the voltage waveformobtained when the movable sections 20 a, 20 b are displaced rightwardlyand leftwardly by alternately switching the voltage applied to the pairof electrodes 24, 26. The resonance frequency indicates the maximumfrequency at which the displacement action of the movable sections 20 a,20 b can follow in a predetermined vibration mode.

In the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 according to thisembodiment, the movable sections 20 a, 20 b, the thin plate sections 12a, 12 b, and the fixation section 14 are integrated into one unit. It isunnecessary that all of the parts are formed with thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive material which is a fragile materialhaving a relatively heavy weight. Therefore, the device has thefollowing advantages. That is, the device has the high mechanicalstrength, and it is excellent in handling performance, shock resistance,and moisture resistance. Further, the operation of the device isscarcely affected by harmful vibration (for example, noise vibration andremaining vibration during high speed operation).

In this embodiment, when the space between the-mutually opposingattachment surfaces 34 a, 34 b is the gap 36, the movable section 20 aincluding the first attachment surface 34 a and the movable section 20 bincluding the second attachment surface 34 b are easily bent, and thedevice is highly resistant to the deformation. Therefore, thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 is excellent in handlingperformance.

Owing to the presence of the mutually opposing attachment surfaces 34 a,34 b, the surface area of the movable sections 20 a, 20 b is increased.Therefore, when another part is attached to the movable section 20 a, 20b, it is possible to increase the attachment area. Thus, it is possibleto improve the attachment performance for the part. For example, if itis assumed that the part is secured with an adhesive or the like, thepart is bonded by the aid of not only the principal surface of themovable section 20 a, 20 b (front surface and/or back surface) but alsothe mutually opposing attachment surfaces 34 a, 34 b. It is possible tosecure the part in a reliable manner.

In this embodiment, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18b is constructed to have the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 andthe pair of electrodes 24, 26 formed on the both sides of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22. The first electrode 24 of thepair of electrodes 24, 26 is directly formed on at least the sidesurface of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b. Therefore, the vibrationcaused by the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b can beefficiently transmitted to the movable section 20 a, 20 b via the thinplate section 12 a, 12 b. Thus, it is possible to improve the responseperformance.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, the portion(substantial driving portion 40), at which the pair of electrodes 24, 26are overlapped with each other with the piezoelectric/electrostrictivelayer 22 interposed therebetween, is continuously formed over the rangefrom the part of the fixation section 14 to the part of the thin platesection 12 a, 12 b. If the substantial driving portion 40 is formed tofurther extend over a part of the movable section 20 a, 20 b, then it isfeared that the displacement action of the movable section 20 a, 20 b isinconsistent with the deformation of the substantial driving portion 40and the deformation of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b, and it isimpossible to obtain the large displacement. However, in thisembodiment, the substantial driving portion 40 is formed such that itdoes not range over both of the movable section 20 a, 20 b and thefixation section 14. Therefore, it is possible to avoid theinconvenience of the restriction of the displacement action of themovable section 20 a, 20 b, and it is possible to increase thedisplacement amount of the movable section 20 a, 20 b.

On the other hand, when the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a,18 b is formed on the part of the movable section 20 a, 20 b, it ispreferable that the substantial driving portion 40 is located over therange from the part of the movable section 20 a, 20 b to the part of thethin plate section 12 a, 12 b, because of the following reason. That is,if the substantial driving portion 40 is formed to extend up to a partof the fixation section 14, the displacement action of the movablesection 20 a, 20 b is restricted as described above.

The embodiment described above is illustrative of the case in which theattachment surfaces 34 a, 34 b are provided for the movable sections 20a, 20 b. Alternatively, as in a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10c according to a third modified embodiment shown in FIG. 11, endsurfaces 34 a, 34 b may be provided for the fixation section 14. In thiscase, for example, the movable sections 20 a, 20 b, which are providedat the forward end portions of the pair of thin plate sections 12 a, 12b, have an integrally connected configuration. The mutually opposing endsurfaces 34 a, 34 b are provided for the fixation section 14.

Accordingly, in addition to the effect obtained when the mutuallyopposing attachment surfaces 34 a, 34 b are provided for the movablesections 20 a, 20 b as described above, thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 c according to the thirdmodified embodiment can be tightly fixed to a predetermined fixationportion. Thus, it is possible to improve the reliability. The length ofthe substantial driving portion 40 is preferably 20% to 95% of thelength of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b, and more preferably 40% to80% thereof.

Next, explanation will be made for preferred illustrative constructionsof the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 according to theembodiment of the present invention.

At first, in order to ensure the displacement action of the movablesection 20 a, 20 b, it is preferable that the distance Dg, by which thesubstantial driving portion 40 of the piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelement 18 a, 18 b is overlapped with the fixation section 14 or themovable section 20 a, 20 b, is not less than ½ of the thickness Dd ofthe thin plate section 12 a, 12 b.

The device is constructed such that the ratio Da/Db between the distance(distance in the X axis direction) Da between the inner walls of thethin plate sections 12 a, 12 b and the width (distance in the Y axisdirection) Db of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b is 0.5 to 20. Theratio Da/Db is preferably 1 to 15 and more preferably 1 to 10. Theprescribed value of the ratio Da/Db is prescribed on the basis of thediscovery that the displacement amount of the movable section 20 a, 20 bcan be increased, and the displacement in the X-Z plane can bedominantly obtained.

On the other hand, it is desirable that the ratio De/Da between thelength (distance in the Z axis direction) De of the thin plate section12 a, 12 b and the distance Da between the inner walls of the thin platesections 12 a, 12 b is preferably 0.5 to 10 and more preferably 0.5 to5. The prescribed value of the ratio De/Da is prescribed on the basis ofthe discovery that the displacement amount of the movable sections 20 a,20 b with the spacer members (37A to 37C or 37) intervening therebetweencan be increased, and the displacement action can be performed at a highresonance frequency (high response speed can be achieved).

Therefore, in order to suppress the flapping displacement in the Y axisdirection or the vibration of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device10 according to this embodiment and provide the structure in which thehigh speed response performance is excellent and the large displacementis simultaneously obtained at a relatively low voltage, it is preferablethat the ratio Da/Db is 0.5 to 20 and the ratio De/Da is 0.5 to 10, andit is more preferable that the ratio Da/Db is 1 to 10 and the ratioDe/Da is 0.5 to 5.

Further, for example, in the case of the piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevice 10 b according to the second embodiment, the hole 42 is formed bythe both inner walls of the pair of thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b, theinner walls of the movable sections 20 a, 20 b, and the inner wall ofthe spacer member 37 (and the inner wall of the adhesive 38), and theinner wall of the fixation section 14. It is preferable that the hole 42is filled with a gel material, for example, silicone gel. Usually, thedisplacement action of the movable section 20 a, 20 b is restricted bythe presence of such a filler material. However, in the second modifiedembodiment, it is intended to realize the light weight brought about bythe formation of the end surface 34 a, 34 b for the movable section 20a, 20 b and increase the displacement amount of the movable section 20a, 20 b. Therefore, the restriction of the displacement action of themovable section 20 a, 20 b due to the filler material is counteracted.Accordingly, it is possible to realize the effect owing to the presenceof the filler material, namely the realization of the high resonancefrequency and the maintenance of the rigidity.

It is preferable that the length (distance in the Z axis direction) Dfof the movable section 20 a, 20 b is short, because of the followingreason. That is, it is possible to realize the light weight and increasethe resonance frequency by shortening the length. Further, when anarticle is interposed, it is possible to improve the displacement.However, in order to ensure the rigidity of the movable section 20 a, 20b in the X axis direction and obtain its reliable displacement, it isdesirable that the ratio Df/Dd with respect to the thickness Dd of thethin plate section 12 a, 12 b is not less than 2 and preferably not lessthan 5.

The actual size of each component is determined considering, forexample, the joining area for attaching the part to the movable section20 a, 20 b, the joining area for attaching the fixation section 14 toanother member, the joining area for attaching the electrode terminal orthe like, and the strength, the durability, the necessary displacementamount, the resonance frequency, and the driving voltage of the entirepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10.

Specifically, for example, the distance Da between the inner walls ofthe thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b is preferably 100 μm to 2000 μm andmore preferably 200 μm to 1600 μm. The width Db of the thin platesection 12 a, 12 b is preferably 50 μm to 2000 μm and more preferably100 μm to 500 μm. The thickness Dd of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 bis preferably 2 μm to 100 μm and more preferably 10 μm to 80 μm, whileit satisfies Db>Dd in relation to the width Db of the thin plate section12 a, 12 b, in order to make it possible to effectively suppress theflapping displacement which is the displacement component in the Y axisdirection.

The length De of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b is preferably 200 μmto 3000 μm and more preferably 300 μm to 2000 μm. The length Df of themovable section 20 a, 20 b is preferably 50 μm to 2000 μm, morepreferably 100 μm to 1000 μm, and especially preferably 200 μm to 600μm.

The arrangement as described above exhibits such an extremely excellenteffect that the displacement in the Y axis direction does not exceeds10% with respect to the displacement in the X axis direction, while thedevice can be driven at a low voltage by appropriately making adjustmentwithin the range of the size ratio and the actual size, and it ispossible to suppress the displacement component in the Y axis directionto be not more than 5%. In other words, the movable section 20 a, 20 bis displaced in one axis direction, i.e., substantially in the X axisdirection. Further, the high speed response is excellent, and it ispossible to obtain the large displacement at a relatively low voltage.

In the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10, the shape of the deviceis not the plate-shaped configuration (the thickness in the directionperpendicular to the displacement direction is small) unlikeconventional one. Each of the movable section 20 a, 20 b and thefixation section 14 has the rectangular parallelepiped-shapedconfiguration (the thickness in the direction perpendicular to thedisplacement direction is large). The pair of thin plate sections 12 a,12 b are provided so that the side surface of the movable section 20 a,20 b is continuous to the side surface of the fixation section 14.Therefore, it is possible to selectively increase the rigidity ofpiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 in the Y axis direction.

That is, in the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10, it is possibleto selectively generate only the operation of the movable section 20 a,20 b in the plane (XZ plane). It is possible to suppress the operationof the movable section 20 a, 20 b in the YZ plane (operation in theso-called flapping direction).

Next, explanation will be made for the respective constitutivecomponents of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 according tothis embodiment.

As described above, the movable section 20 a, 20 b is the portion whichis operated on the basis of the driving amount of the thin plate section12 a, 12 b, and a variety of members are attached thereto depending onthe purpose of use of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10. Forexample, when the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 is used as adisplacement element, a shield plate for an optical shutter or the likeis attached thereto. Especially, when the piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevice 10 is used for the mechanism for positioning a magnetic head of ahard disk drive or for suppressing the ringing, a member required to bepositioned is attached thereto, including, for example, the magnetichead, a slider provided with the magnetic head, and a suspensionprovided with the slider.

As described above, the fixation section 14 is the portion forsupporting the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b and the movable section 20a, 20 b. For example, when the fixation section 14 is utilized toposition the magnetic head of the hard disk drive, the entirepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 is fixed by supporting andsecuring the fixation section 14, for example, to a carriage armattached to VCM (voice coil motor) or a fixation plate or a suspensionattached to the carriage arm. As shown in FIG. 1, the terminals 28, 30for driving the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b andother members are arranged on the fixation section 14 in some cases.

The material for constructing the movable section 20 a, 20 b and thefixation section 14 is not specifically limited provided that it hasrigidity. However, it is possible to preferably use ceramics to whichthe ceramic green sheet-laminating method is applicable as describedlater on. Specifically, the material includes, for example, materialscontaining a major component of zirconia represented by fully stabilizedzirconia and partially stabilized zirconia, alumina, magnesia, siliconnitride, aluminum nitride, and titanium oxide, as well as materialscontaining a major component of a mixture of them. However, in view ofthe high mechanical strength and the high toughness, it is preferable touse a material containing a major component of zirconia, especiallyfully stabilized zirconia and a material containing a major component ofpartially stabilized zirconia. The metal material is not limitedprovided that it has rigidity. However, the metal material includes, forexample, stainless steel and nickel.

As described above, the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b is the portionwhich is driven in accordance with the displacement of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b. The thin platesection 12 a, 12 b is the thin plate-shaped member having flexibility,and it functions to amplify the expansion and contracting displacementof the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b arranged on thesurface as the bending displacement and transmit the displacement to themovable section 20 a, 20 b. Therefore, it is enough that the shape orthe material of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b provides theflexibility with the mechanical strength of such a degree that it is notbroken by the bending displacement. It is possible to make appropriateselection considering the response performance and the operability ofthe movable section 20 a, 20 b.

It is preferable that the thickness Dd of the thin plate section 12 a,12 b is preferably about 2 μm to 100 μm. It is preferable that thecombined thickness of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b and thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b is 7 μm to 500 μm. Itis preferable that the thickness of the electrode 24, 26 is 0.1 μm to 50μm, and the thickness of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 is3 μm to 300 μm.

Ceramics, which is similarly used for the movable section 20 a, 20 b andthe fixation section 14, can be preferably used as the material forconstructing the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b. A material containing amajor component of zirconia, especially fully stabilized zirconia and amaterial containing a major component of partially stabilized zirconiaare most preferably used, because the mechanical strength is large evenin the case of a thin wall thickness, the toughness is high, and thereactivity with the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer and theelectrode material is small.

When the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b is made of a metal material, itis enough that the metal material has flexibility and the metal materialis capable of bending displacement as described above. However,preferably, it is desirable that the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b ismade of an iron-based material such as various stainless steel materialsand various spring steel materials. Alternatively, it is desirable thatthe thin plate section 12 a, 12 b is made of a non-ferrous material suchas beryllium copper, phosphor bronze, nickel, and nickel-iron alloy.

Those which are fully stabilized or partially stabilized as follows arepreferably used as fully stabilized zirconia or partially stabilizedzirconia as described above. That is, the compound to be used for fullystabilizing or partially stabilizing zirconia includes yttrium oxide,ytterbium oxide, cerium oxide, calcium oxide, and magnesium oxide. Whenat least one compound of them is added and contained, the objectivezirconia can be stabilized. Alternatively, the objective zirconia can bestabilized as well, not only by adding one type of the compound but alsoby adding a combination of the compounds.

The amount of addition of each of the compounds is desirably as follows.That is, yttrium oxide or ytterbium oxide is added by 1 to 30 mole %,preferably 1.5 to 10 mole %. Cerium oxide is added by 6 to 50 mole %,preferably 8 to 20 mole %. Calcium oxide or magnesium oxide is added by5 to 40 mole %, preferably 5 to 20 mole %. Especially, it is preferableto use yttrium oxide as a stabilizer. In this case, yttrium oxide isdesirably added by 1.5 to 10 mole %, more preferably 2 to 4 mole %. Forexample, alumina, silica, or transition metal oxide may be added as anadditive of sintering aid or the like in a range of 0.05 to 20% byweight. However, when the sintering integration based on the filmformation method is adopted as a technique for forming thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b, it is also preferableto add, for example, alumina, magnesia, and transition metal oxide as anadditive.

In order to obtain the mechanical strength and the stable crystal phase,it is desirable that the average crystal grain size of zirconia is 0.05to 3 μm, preferably 0.05 to 1 μm. As described above, ceramics can beused for the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b in the same manner as in themovable section 20 a, 20 b and the fixation section 14. Preferably, itis advantageous to construct the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b with asubstantially identical material in view of the reliability of thejoined portion and the strength of the piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevice 10, in order to reduce any complicated procedure of theproduction.

The piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b has at least thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 and the pair of electrodes 24,26 for applying the electric field to the piezoelectric/electrostrictivelayer 22. It is possible to use, for example,piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements of the unimorph type and thebimorph type. However, those of the unimorph type combined with the thinplate section 12 a, 12 b are suitable for thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 as described above, becausethey are excellent in stability of the generated displacement amount andthey are advantageous to realize the light weight.

As shown in FIG. 1, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18b is preferably formed on the side surface side of the thin platesection 12 a, 12 b in view of the fact that the thin plate section 12 a,12 b can be driven to a greater extent.

Piezoelectric ceramics is preferably used for thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22. However, it is also possible touse electrostrictive ceramics, ferroelectric ceramics, oranti-ferroelectric ceramics. However, when thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 is used, for example, toposition the magnetic head of the hard disk drive, it is important toprovide the linearity concerning the displacement amount of the movablesection 20 a, 20 b and the driving voltage or the output voltage.Therefore, it is preferable to use a material having small strainhysteresis. It is preferable to use a material having a coerciveelectric field of not more than 10 kV/mm.

Specified materials include ceramics containing, for example, leadzirconate, lead titanate, lead magnesium niobate, lead nickel niobate,lead zinc niobate, lead manganese niobate, lead antimony stannate, leadmanganese tungstate, lead cobalt niobate, barium titanate, sodiumbismuth titanate, potassium sodium niobate, and strontium bismuthtantalate singly or in mixture.

Especially, a material containing a major component of lead zirconate,lead titanate, and lead magnesium niobate, or a material containing amajor component of sodium bismuth titanate is preferably used, in orderto obtain the product having a stable composition with a highelectromechanical coupling factor and a piezoelectric constant and withsmall reactivity with the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b (ceramics)during the sintering of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22.

It is also preferable to use ceramics obtained by adding, to thematerial described above, for example, oxides of lanthanum, calcium,strontium, molybdenum, tungsten, barium, niobium, zinc, nickel,manganese, cerium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, antimony, iron, yttrium,tantalum, lithium, bismuth, and stannum singly or in mixture.

For example, when lanthanum and/or strontium is contained in the majorcomponents of lead zirconate, lead titanate, and lead magnesium niobate,an advantage is obtained in some cases, for example, in such a way thatthe coercive electric field and the piezoelectric characteristic can beadjusted.

It is desirable to avoid the addition of a material such as silica whichtends to form glass, because of the following reason. That is, thematerial such as silica tends to react with thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive material during the heat treatment forthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22. As a result, thecomposition is varied, and the piezoelectric characteristic isdeteriorated.

On the other hand, it is preferable that the pair of electrodes 24, 26of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b are made ofmetal which is solid at room temperature and which is excellent inelectrical conductivity. For example, it is possible to use elementalsubstance or alloy of, for example, aluminum, titanium, chromium, iron,cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, niobium, molybdenum, ruthenium, palladium,rhodium, silver, stannum, tantalum, tungsten, iridium, platinum, gold,and lead. It is also preferable to use a cermet material obtained bydispersing, in the metal described above, the same material as that ofthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 or the thin plate section 12a, 12 b.

The material for the electrodes 24, 26 of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b is selected anddetermined depending on the method for forming thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22. For example, when thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 is formed by sintering on thefirst electrode 24 after the first electrode 24 is formed on the thinplate section 12 a, 12 b, it is necessary for the first electrode 24 touse high melting point metal such as platinum, palladium,platinum-palladium alloy, and silver-palladium alloy which does notchange at the sintering temperature for thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22. However, the electrodeformation can be performed at a low temperature for the second electrode26 which is formed on the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 afterforming the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22. Therefore, it ispossible for the second electrode 26 to use low melting point metal suchas aluminum, gold, and silver.

The thickness of the electrode 24, 26 also serves as a factor toconsiderably decrease the displacement of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b. Therefore, it ispreferable, especially for the electrode formed after the sintering ofthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22, to use organic metal pastecapable of obtaining a dense and thinner film after the sintering, forexample, a material such as gold resinate paste, platinum resinatepaste, and silver resinate paste.

The embodiment described above is illustrative of the case in which thethickness of the movable section 20 a, 20 b formed integrally at theforward end portion of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b is thicker thanthe thickness Dd of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b. Alternatively, asin a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 d according to a fourthmodified embodiment shown in FIG. 12, it is also preferable that thethickness of the movable section 20 a, 20 b is approximately the same asthe thickness Dd of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b. Accordingly, whena part or an article is attached to the movable section 20 a, 20 b, thepart having a size corresponding to the distance between the thin platesections 12 a, 12 b can be attached between the movable section 20 a, 20b so that the part is interposed thereby. In this case, an adhesive areafor attaching the part (for example, the adhesive 38 shown in FIG. 7)corresponds to the movable section 20 a, 20 b.

The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 can be preferably utilizedfor various sensors including, for example, ultrasonic sensors,acceleration sensors, angular velocity sensors, and mass sensors. Afurther advantage is obtained such that the sensitivity of the sensorcan be adjusted with ease by appropriately adjusting the size of theobject to be attached between the end surfaces 34 a, 34 b or between thethin plate sections 12 a, 12 b.

Next, piezoelectric/electrostrictive devices 10 e to 10 g according tofifth to seventh embodiments will be explained as more preferredembodiments of the present invention with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15.

At first, as shown in FIG. 13, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device10 e according to the fifth modified embodiment is constructed inapproximately the same manner as the piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevice 10 explained above. However, for example, the arrangement of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b differs in thefollowing points.

That is, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b comprisesthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 which has a four-layeredstructure. The first electrode 24 is formed to have a comb-shapedconfiguration to be located at the upper surface of the first layer andthe upper surface of the third layer. The second electrode 26 is formedto have a comb-shaped configuration to be located at the lower surfaceof the first layer, the upper surface of the second layer, and the uppersurface of the fourth layer.

Especially, the second electrode 26, which is located at the lowersurface of the first layer, is formed substantially continuously rangingover the respective side surfaces of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b,the movable section 20 a, 20 b, and the fixation section 14. Further, apart of the second electrode 26 is separated at the side surface of thefixation section 14 to form a slit 70.

The slit 70 is provided taking the following facts into consideration.That is, (1) the actuator is not driven at the rearward end portion 72of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b (portionranging from the end of the slit 70 at the rearward end side to therearward end of the fixation section 14), (2) any short circuit isscarcely formed at the end of the first terminal 28, and (3) theelectrode material is arranged on the lower surface of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 at the rearward end portion ofthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b.

If the provision of the slit 70 is inversely unfavorable, it is notnecessarily indispensable to provide the slit 70. The slit 70 may beomitted.

In this embodiment, FIG. 13 is illustrative of the following case. Thatis, the thickness Dd of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b is 0.05 mm.The distance Dh from the side surface of the first thin plate section 12a to the second thin plate section 12 b is 1.3 mm. The length Di of thefixation section 14 (length of the fixation section 14 in the axialdirection of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 f) is 0.4 mm.The length Df of the movable section 20 a, 20 b is 0.3 mm. The width Djof the movable section 20 a, 20 b is 0.25 mm. The protruding amount Dkof the movable section 20 a, 20 b is 0.05 mm. The entire length Dm ofthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 f (distance from theforward end of the movable section 20 a, 20 b to the rearward end of thefixation section 14) is 1.9 mm. The minimum distance between the endsurfaces 34 a, 34 b (corresponding to the distance Lc shown in FIG. 1)is 1.04 mm.

The dimension of each of the components is regulated within a range of±10% with respect to each of the dimensions described above. In thisembodiment, when the movable sections 20 a, 20 b are connected to oneanother with a spacer member 37 composed of the same material as that ofthe constitutive member as shown in FIG. 7 between the end surfaces 34a, 34 b, it is possible to obtain the piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevice having a resonance frequency of 45±10 kHz and a displacement ofnot less than 0.5 μm (30 Vpp).

FIG. 13 is illustrative of the case in which the respective end surfacesof the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 having the four-layeredstructure are aligned. However, it is preferable that the end surfacesof the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 are disposed so thatupper layers are gradually directed inwardly to provide steps.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10f according to the sixth modified embodiment is constructed inapproximately the same manner as the piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevice 10 e according to the fifth modified embodiment. However, thearrangement of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 bdiffers in the following points.

That is, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b comprisesthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 which has a three-layeredstructure. The first electrode 24 is formed to have a comb-shapedconfiguration to be located at a part of the lower surface of the firstlayer and the upper surface of the second layer. The second electrode 26is formed to have a comb-shaped configuration to be located at a part ofthe lower surface of the first layer, the upper surface of the firstlayer, and the upper surface of the third layer.

It is preferred that the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 26,which are located at the lower surface of the first layer, are separatedfrom each other at a part of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b by theaid of a slit 70. The second electrode, which is located at the lowersurface of the first layer, is formed continuously over a range from theslit 70 to the upper end of the movable section 20 a, 20 b. The firstelectrode 24, which is located at the lower surface of the first layer,is formed continuously over a range from the slit 70 to the rearward endof the fixation section 14.

Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10g according to the seventh modified embodiment is constructed inapproximately the same manner as the piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevice 10 f according to the sixth modified embodiment. However, theformation pattern of the pair of electrodes 24, 26 differs in thefollowing points.

That is, the first electrode 24 is formed to have a comb-shapedconfiguration to be located at the lower surface of the first layer andthe upper surface of the second layer of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22. The second electrode 26 isformed to have a comb-shaped configuration to be located at the uppersurface of the first layer and the upper surface of the third layer ofthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22.

Especially, the first electrode 24, which is located at the lowersurface of the first layer, is formed continuously over the respectiveside surfaces of the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b, the movable section20 a, 20 b, and the fixation section 14.

The difference from the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 faccording to the sixth modified embodiment will now be explained. Asshown in FIG. 14, in the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 faccording to the sixth modified embodiment, both of the first electrode24 and the second electrode 26 are formed on the thin plate section 12a. Therefore, the electrodes 24, 26, which have the mutually oppositepolarities, are located at the both ends of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18, 18 b (the end correspondingto the forward end of the movable section 20 a, 20 b and the endcorresponding to the rearward end of the fixation section 14).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15, in thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 g according to the seventhmodified embodiment, only the first electrode 24 is formed on the thinplate section 12 a, 12 b. Therefore, the electrodes 24, which have themutually identical polarity, are located at the both ends of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b. The feature of thepolarity at the end as described above is utilized by appropriatelymaking combination with a circuit for which thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 g is utilized.

The substantial driving portion of the piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelement 18 a, 18 b is the portion at which the pair of electrodes 24, 26are overlapped with each other. In the piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevice 10 f according to the sixth modified embodiment, as shown in FIG.14, the substantial driving portion is the portion at which theelectrodes 24, 26 formed at the respective layers of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 are overlapped with each other,which resides in one part corresponding to the portion indicated by therange C.

On the other hand, the substantial driving portion of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 g according to the seventhmodified embodiment resides in two parts, i.e., the portion (portionindicated by the range C) at which the electrodes 24, 26 formed at therespective layers of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 areoverlapped with each other, and the portion (portion indicated by therange D) which is disposed at the position deviated toward the movablesection 20 a, 20 b with respect to the end of the first electrode 24formed at the upper surface of the second layer of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 and at which the pair ofelectrodes 24, 26 are overlapped with each other with the first layer ofthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 intervening therebetween.The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 g according to the seventhmodified embodiment is characterized in that the portion indicated bythe range D also serves as the driving source.

Next, explanation will be made with reference to FIGS. 16 to 40 forseveral methods for producing the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Ceramics is preferably used for the constitutive material for each ofthe members of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 according tothe embodiment of the present invention. It is preferable that theconstitutive elements of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10concerning the substrate 16 except for thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b, i.e., the thin platesections 12 a, 12 b, the fixation section 14, and the movable sections20 a, 20 b are produced by using the ceramic green sheet-laminatingmethod. On the other hand, it is preferable that thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b as well as therespective terminals 28, 30 are produced by using the film formationmethod, for example, for the thin film and the thick film.

According to the ceramic green sheet-laminating method in which therespective members of the substrate 16 of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 can be formed in an integratedmanner, the time-dependent change of state scarcely occurs at the joinedportions of the respective members. Therefore, this method provides thehigh reliability of the joined portion, and it is advantageous to ensurethe rigidity.

In the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 according to thisembodiment, the boundary portion (joined portion) between the thin platesection 12 a, 12 b and the fixation section 14 and the boundary portion(joined portion) between the thin plate section 12 a, 12 b and themovable section 20 a, 20 b function as supporting points for expressingthe displacement. Therefore, the reliability of the joined portion is animportant point which dominates the characteristic of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10.

The production methods described below are excellent in reproducibilityand formability. Therefore, it is possible to obtain thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 having a predetermined shapewithin a short period of time with good reproducibility.

A first production method for the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will bespecifically explained below. The following definitions are now made.The laminate, which is obtained by laminating the ceramic green sheets,is defined to be the ceramic green laminate 58 (see, for example, FIG.17). The integrated matter, which is obtained by sintering the ceramicgreen laminate 58, is defined to be the ceramic laminate 60 (see, forexample, FIG. 18). The integrated matter comprising the movable sections20 a, 20 b, the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b, and the fixation section14, which is obtained by cutting off unnecessary portions from theceramic laminate 60, is defined to be the ceramic substrate 16C (seeFIG. 19).

In the first production method, the ceramic laminate 60 is finally cutinto chip units in a form in which a plurality ofpiezoelectric/electrostrictive devices 10 are arranged in the verticaldirection and in the lateral direction respectively on an identicalsubstrate to produce a large number of piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevices 10 in accordance with identical steps. However, in order tosimplify the explanation, description will be made principally for thecase in which one individual of piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10is produced.

At first, for example, a binder, a solvent, a dispersing agent, and aplasticizer are added and mixed with a ceramic powder such as zirconiato prepare a slurry. The slurry is subjected to a degassing treatment,and then a ceramic green sheet having a predetermined thickness isprepared in accordance with, for example, the reverse roll coater methodand the doctor blade method.

Subsequently, the ceramic green sheet is processed into those havingvarious shapes as shown in FIG. 16 in accordance with, for example, amethod such as the punching out based on the mold and the lasermachining to obtain a plurality of ceramic green sheets 50A to 50I, 52A,52B for forming the substrate.

The ceramic green sheets 50A to 50I, 52A, 52B include the plurality (forexample, nine) of ceramic green sheets 50A to 50I each of which isformed with at least a window 54 for forming the space between the thinplate sections 12 a, 12 b, and the plurality (for example, two) ofceramic green sheets 52A, 52B to be formed into the thin plate sections12 a, 12 b thereafter. The numbers of ceramic green sheets referred toabove are persistently by way of example.

After that, as shown in FIG. 17, the ceramic green sheets 50A to 50I,52A, 52B are laminated and secured under pressure so that the ceramicgreen sheets 50A to 50I are interposed between the ceramic green sheets52A, 52B to form a ceramic green laminate 58. Subsequently, the ceramicgreen laminate 58 is sintered to obtain a ceramic laminate 60 (see FIG.18).

It is noted that there is no limitation for the number ofpressure-securing process or processes and the sequence for the purposeof the lamination and integration into one unit. These factors can beappropriately determined depending on the structure, for example, sothat the desired structure is obtained on the basis of, for example, theshape of the window 54 and the number of ceramic green sheets.

It is unnecessary that the shape of the window 54 is identical in allcases. The shape of the window 54 can be determined depending on thedesired function. There is also no limitation for the number of ceramicgreen sheets and the thickness of each of the ceramic green sheets.

In the pressure-securing process, it is possible to further improve thelaminating performance by applying the heat. The laminating performanceat the boundary of the ceramic green sheet can be improved by providingan auxiliary joining layer, for example, by applying and printing, ontothe ceramic green sheet, a paste or a slurry principally containing aceramic powder (it is preferable to use a composition which is the sameas or similar to that of the ceramics used for the ceramic green sheetin order to ensure the reliability), and a binder. When the ceramicgreen sheets 52A, 52B are thin, it is preferable to handle them with aplastic film, especially with a polyethylene terephthalate film coatedwith a releasing agent based on silicone on the surface.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 18, the piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelements 18 a, 18 b are formed respectively on the both surfaces of theceramic laminate 60, i.e., on the surfaces corresponding to the surfacesat which the ceramic green sheets 52A, 52B are laminated. Those usableas the method for forming the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18a, 18 b include the thick film formation method such as the screenprinting method, the dipping method, the coating method, and theelectrophoresis method, and the thin film formation method such as theion beam method, the sputtering method, the vacuum vapor deposition, theion plating method, the chemical vapor deposition method (CVD), and theplating.

When the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b are formedby using the film formation method as described above, thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b and the thin platesections 12 a, 12 b can be integrally joined and arranged without usingany adhesive. It is possible to ensure the reliability and thereproducibility, and it is easy to form the stack.

In this case, it is preferable that the piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelements 18 a, 18 b are formed by means of the thick film formationmethod, because of the following reason. That is, especially, when thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 is formed by using the thickfilm formation method, the film can be formed by using, for example, apaste, a slurry, a suspension, an emulsion, or a sol containing a majorcomponent of particles or powder of piezoelectric ceramics having anaverage particle size of 0.01 to 5 μm, preferably 0.05 to 3 μm. It ispossible to obtain good piezoelectric/electrostrictive characteristicsby sintering the formed film.

The electrophoresis method is advantageous in that the film can beformed at a high density with a high shape accuracy. The screen printingmethod is advantageous to simplify the production step, because it ispossible to simultaneously perform the film formation and the patternformation.

Explanation will be specifically made for the formation of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b. At first, theceramic green laminate 58 is sintered and integrated into one unit at atemperature of 1200° C. to 1600° C. to obtain the ceramic laminate 60.After that, the first ones of the first electrodes 24 for the thin platesections 12 a, 12 b are printed and sintered at predetermined positionson the both surfaces of the ceramic laminate 60. Subsequently, thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layers 22 are printed and sintered.Further, the second electrodes 26, which form the pairs with the firstones of the first electrodes 24, are printed and sintered to form thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b by repeating theforegoing steps in a predetermined number of times (when thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b is composed of themultilayered piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22). After that, theterminals 28, 30 are printed and sintered in order to electricallyconnect the respective electrodes 24, 26 to the driving circuit.

Alternatively, the following process may be available. That is, thefirst one of the first electrode 24 at the lowermost layer is printedand sintered. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 and the firstone of the second electrode 26 which forms the pair with the first oneof the first electrode 24 are printed and sintered. The printing and thesintering are repeated a predetermined number of times with theforegoing process unit to form the piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelement 18 a, 18 b.

In this process, when the materials are selected so that the sinteringtemperature for each of the members is lowered in accordance with thestacking sequence, for example, when platinum (Pt) is used for the firstelectrode 24, lead zirconate titanate (PZT) is used for thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22, gold (Au) is used for thesecond electrode 26, and silver (Ag) is used for the terminals 28, 30,then the material, which has been already sintered beforehand, is notsintered again at a certain sintering stage. Thus, it is possible toavoid the occurrence of inconvenience such as peeling off andaggregation of the electrode material or the like.

When appropriate materials are selected, it is also possible tosuccessively print the respective members of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b and the terminals 28,30, followed by the sintering one time. Further, it is also possible toprovide, for example, the electrode 26 at the outermost layer at a lowtemperature after forming the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22 atthe outermost layer.

Alternatively, the respective members of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b and the terminals 28,30 may be formed by means of the thin film formation method such as thesputtering method and the vapor deposition method. In this case, it isnot necessarily indispensable to perform the heat treatment.

When the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b are formed,it is also preferable that the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements18 a, 18 b are previously formed on the both surfaces of the ceramicgreen laminate 58, i.e., on the respective surfaces of the ceramic greensheets 52A, 52B, and the ceramic green laminate 58 and thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b are simultaneouslysintered or co-fired. For example, the following methods are availableto perform the co-firing. That is, the sintering may be performed forall of the constitutive films of the ceramic green laminate 58 and thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b. The first electrodes24 and the ceramic green laminate 58 may be co-fired, or the otherconstitutive films except for the second electrodes 26 and the ceramicgreen laminate 58 may be co-fired.

The following method is available to co-fire thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b and the ceramic greenlaminate 58. That is, precursors of the piezoelectric/electrostrictivelayers 22 are formed, for example, in accordance with the tape formationmethod based on the use of a slurry material. The precursors of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layers 22 before the sintering arelaminated on the surfaces of the ceramic green laminate 58, for example,by means of the thermal securing process under pressure, followed by theco-firing to simultaneously produce the movable sections 20 a, 20 b, thethin plate sections 12 a, 12 b, the piezoelectric/electrostrictivelayers 22, and the fixation section 14. However, in this method, it isnecessary to form the electrodes 24 beforehand on the surfaces of theceramic green laminate 58 and/or on the piezoelectric/electrostrictivelayers 22 by using the film formation method described above.

Another method is also available. That is, the electrodes 24, 26 and thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layers 22, which are the respectiveconstitutive layers of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a,18 b, are formed by means of the screen printing on portions to befinally formed into at least the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b of theceramic green laminate 58, followed by the co-firing.

The sintering temperature for the constitutive film of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b is appropriatelydetermined depending on the material for constructing the same. However,the sintering temperature is generally 500° C. to 1500° C. The sinteringtemperature is preferably 1000° C. to 1400° C. for thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22. In this case, in order tocontrol the composition of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22,the sintering is preferably performed in the presence of an evaporationsource of the material of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 22.When the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layers 22 and the ceramic greenlaminate 58 are co-fired, it is necessary to conform the sinteringconditions of the both. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a,18 b is not necessarily formed on the both surfaces of the ceramiclaminate 60 or the ceramic green laminate 58. It is of course allowableto form the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 a, 18 b on onlyone surface.

Subsequently, unnecessary portions are cut off from the ceramic laminate60 formed with the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b asdescribed above. The cutoff positions are located at side portions ofthe ceramic laminate 60, especially at portions at which the hole 42based on the window 54 is formed on the side surfaces of the ceramiclaminate 60 by means of the cutoff (see cutting lines C1 and C2).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 19, a central portion 20 c of the portionto be formed into the movable sections 20 a, 20 b is cut and removedalong cutting lines C3 and C4 to produce thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 comprising thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b formed on the ceramicsubstrate 16C integrated with the movable sections 20 a, 20 b, the thinplate sections 12 a, 12 b, and the fixation section 14. Those applicableas the cutoff method include the mechanical machining such as the dicingmachining and the wire saw machining as well as the electron beammachining and the laser machining based on the use of, for example, theYAG laser and the excimer laser.

When the ceramic substrate 16C is cut off, the machining may beperformed by combining the machining methods described above. Forexample, the wire saw machining is preferably performed for the cuttinglines C1 and C2 (see FIG. 18). The dicing machining is preferablyperformed for the end surfaces 34 a, 34 b of the movable sections 20 a,20 b and the fixation section 14 perpendicular to the cutting lines C1and C2.

In the first production method for the piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevice 10 described above, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements18 a, 18 b are formed on the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b by means ofthe integrated sintering. Therefore, as shown in. FIG. 20A, for example,the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b and thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b are slightlydisplaced to be convex toward the hole 42, giving a state in which thestrain is generated in shape, for example, due to the shrinkage of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layers 22 caused during the sintering andthe difference in coefficient of thermal expansion among the pair ofelectrodes 24, 26, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layers 22, and thethin plate sections 12 a, 12 b. As a result, the internal residualstress tends to arise in the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18a, 18 b (especially in the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layers 22) andin the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b.

The internal residual stress in the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b andthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive layers 22 is generated when theintegrated sintering is performed as described above as well as whenseparate members of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18b are bonded to the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b, for example, with anadhesive. That is, the internal residual stress is generated in the thinplate sections 12 a, 12 b and the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layers22 due to the curing and shrinkage of the adhesive or the like when theadhesive is immobilized or cured. When the heating is required for theimmobilization or the curing, the internal residual stress is increased.

If the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 is used in this state,the movable sections 20 a, 20 b do not exhibit any desired displacementin some cases, even when the predetermined electric field is applied tothe piezoelectric/electrostrictive layers 22, because of the followingreason. That is, the material characteristic of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layers 22 and the displacement action ofthe movable sections 20 a, 20 b are inhibited by the internal residualstress generated in the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b and thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layers 22.

In the first production method, as shown in FIG. 20A, the centralportion 20 c of the movable section 20 a, 20 b is cut off by apredetermined width W1 (for example, 100 μm). When the central portion20 c is cut off, the mutually opposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 b areformed for the movable sections 20 a, 20 b as shown in FIG. 20B. The endsurfaces 34 a, 34 b are moved to make approach to one another by theinternal residual stress having been generated in the thin platesections 12 a, 12 b and the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layers 22.The width between the respective end surfaces 34 a, 34 b after themovement is, for example, a second predetermined width W2 (for example,30 μm) which is shorter than the predetermined width W1. Morespecifically, the second predetermined width W2 is shorter at forwardend portions.

The movement of the end surfaces 34 a, 34 b results from the release ofthe internal residual stress having been generated in the thin platesections 12 a, 12 b and the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layers 22.When the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 is used in a state inwhich the internal residual stress is released, then the movablesections 20 a, 20 b exhibit the displacement action as approximatelydesigned, and the good device characteristic is exhibited. This effectis equivalently obtained when a part of the portion to be formed intothe fixation section 14 is cut off to form the mutually opposing endsurfaces 34 a, 34 b for the fixation section 14, for example, as shownin FIG. 11. In this case, the internal residual stress, which has beengenerated in the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b and thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive layers 22, is released by the movement ofthe mutually opposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 b formed for the fixationsection 14. The mutually opposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 b are notnecessarily formed by cutting off the central portion of the movablesection 20 a, 20 b or the fixation section 14. An equivalent effect isalso obtained even when the mutually opposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 bare formed by cutting a portion deviated from the center.

When the cutoff as shown in FIG. 18 and the cutoff as shown in FIG. 19are performed, it is preferable that the heat treatment is performed at300° C. to 800° C. after the cutoff, because of the following reason.That is, any defect such as microcrack tends to occur in thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 as a result of the machining,while the defect can be removed by means of the heat treatment describedabove, and the reliability is improved. Further, it is preferable toapply the aging treatment by being left to stand for at least about 10hours at a temperature of about 80° C. after the heat treatment, becauseof the following reason. That is, when the aging treatment is performed,for example, the various stresses, which have been exerted during theproduction process, can be further mitigated to contribute to theimprovement in characteristic.

Next, a second production method will be explained with reference toFIGS. 21 to 24. At first, as shown in FIG. 21, a plurality (for example,four) of ceramic green sheets 50A to 50D each of which is formed with awindow 54 for forming at least the space between the thin plate sections12 a, 12 b, a plurality (for example, seven) of ceramic green sheets102A to 102G each of which is continuously formed with a window 54 forforming the space between the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b and awindow 100 for forming the movable sections 20 a, 20 b having themutually opposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 b, and a plurality (for example,two) of ceramic green sheets 52A, 52B to be formed into the thin platesections 12 a, 12 b thereafter are prepared.

After that, as shown in FIG. 22, the ceramic green sheets 50A to 50D,52A, 52B, 102A to 102G are laminated and secured under pressure so thatthe ceramic green sheets 50A to 50D, 102A to 102G are interposed betweenthe ceramic green sheets 52A, 52B to form a ceramic green laminate 58.The lamination is performed while the ceramic green sheets 102A to 102Gare positioned at the center. During this process, there may be portionson which no pressure is applied during the securing under pressure, dueto the presence of the window 100. Therefore, for example, it isnecessary that the order of the lamination and the pressure-securing ischanged so that such portions do not appear. This procedure is alsosignificant in third and fourth production methods described later on.After that, the ceramic green laminate 58 is sintered to obtain aceramic laminate 60 (see FIG. 23).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 23, the piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelements 18 a, 18 b having the multilayered structure are formedrespectively on the both surfaces of the ceramic laminate 60, i.e., onthe surfaces corresponding to the surfaces at which the ceramic greensheets 52A, 52B are laminated respectively. Thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b are integrated intothe ceramic laminate 60 by means of the sintering. Of course, it isallowable to form the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 18 on onlyone side surface. This fact also holds for the third and fourthproduction methods described later on.

Subsequently, the ceramic laminate 60, which is formed with thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b, is cut along cuttinglines C1, C2, C5 to thereby cut off side portions and forward endportions of the ceramic laminate 60. As a result of the cutoff, as shownin FIG. 24, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 is obtained,which is formed with the movable sections 20 a, 20 b having the mutuallyopposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 b in which thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b are formed on theceramic substrate 16C. The following cutting sequence is given as anexample. That is, the ceramic laminate 60 may be cut along the cuttinglines C1 and C2, and then it may be cut along the cutting line C5.Alternatively, the ceramic laminate 60 may be cut along the cutting lineC5, and then it may be cut along the cutting lines C1 and C2. Of course,it is also preferable to perform the foregoing cutting procedures at thesame time. The end of the fixation section 14, which is opposed to thecutting line C5, may be appropriately cut.

In the second production method, the piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelements 18 a, 18 b are formed on the ceramic substrate 16Csimultaneously with the cutoff of the unnecessary portions from theceramic laminate 60, making it possible to obtain thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 formed with the movablesections 20 a, 20 b having the mutually opposing end surfaces 34 a, 34b. Accordingly, it is possible to simplify the production steps.Further, it is possible to improve the yield of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10. In this procedure, it isespecially preferable that a plurality of piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevices 10 are arranged in the vertical direction and in the lateraldirection respectively on an identical substrate to produce a largenumber of piezoelectric/electrostrictive devices 10 in accordance withidentical steps, because of the following reason. That is, a largenumber of individuals are easily dealt with in the identical stepconcerning the formation of the end surfaces 34 a, 34 b as compared withthe first production method.

Next, a third production method will be explained with reference toFIGS. 25 to 28. At first, as shown in FIG. 25, a plurality (for example,four) of ceramic green sheets 50A to 50D each of which is formed with awindow 54 for forming at least the space between the thin plate sections12 a, 12 b, a plurality (for example, seven) of ceramic green sheets108A to 108G each of which is continuously formed with a window 54 forforming the space between the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b and awindow 104 for forming a portion 20D (see FIG. 28) to be formed into themovable sections 20 a, 20 b with the mutually opposing end surfaces 34a, 34 b partially connected to one another and which is formed with aprojection 106 partially protruding toward the window 54, and aplurality (for example, two) of ceramic green sheets 52A, 52B to beformed into the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b thereafter are prepared.

After that, as shown in FIG. 26, the ceramic green sheets 52A to 50D,52A, 52B, 108A to 108G are laminated and secured under pressure so thatthe ceramic green sheets 50A to 50D, 108A to 108G are interposed betweenthe ceramic green sheets 52A, 52B to form a ceramic green laminate 58.The lamination is performed while the ceramic green sheets 108A to 108Gare positioned at the center. After that, the ceramic green laminate 58is sintered to obtain a ceramic laminate 60 (see FIG. 27).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 27, the piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelements 18 a, 18 b having the multilayered structure are formedrespectively on the both surfaces of the ceramic laminate 60, i.e., onthe surfaces corresponding to the surfaces at which the ceramic greensheets 52A, 52B are laminated. The piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelements 18 a, 18 b are integrated into the ceramic laminate 60 by meansof the sintering.

Subsequently, the ceramic laminate 60, which is formed with thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b, is cut along cuttinglines C1, C2, C5 to thereby cut off side portions and forward endportions of the ceramic laminate 60. As a result of the cutoff, as shownin FIG. 28, the fixation section 14, the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b,and the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b are formed.However, the portion 20D to be formed into the movable sections 20 a, 20b is in a state in which the mutually opposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 bare partially connected to one another by the projection 106.

Subsequently, the projection 106, which partially connects the mutuallyopposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 b, is cut off to produce thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 in which thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b are formed on theceramic substrate 16C integrated with the movable sections 20 a, 20 b,the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b, and the fixation section 14.

In the third production method, it is enough that the slender projection106, which partially connects the mutually opposing end surfaces 34 a,34 b, is cut off at the final stage. Accordingly, the cutoff procedurecan be performed easily and reliably, and thus it is possible tosimplify the production steps. Further, it is possible to improve theyield of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10.

Next, a fourth production method will be explained with reference toFIGS. 29 to 32. At first, as shown in FIG. 29, a plurality (for example,four) of ceramic green sheets 50A to 50D each of which is formed with awindow 54 for forming at least the space between the thin plate sections12 a, 12 b, a plurality (for example, seven) ceramic green sheets 114Ato 114G each of which is formed with a window 54 for forming the spacebetween the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b and a window 104 for forminga portion 20D (see FIG. 32) to be formed into the movable sections 20 a,20 b with the mutually opposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 b partiallyconnected to one another and which is formed with a crosspiece 112 toseparate the window 54 and the window 104 from each other, and aplurality (for example, two) of ceramic green sheets 52A, 52B to beformed into the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b thereafter are prepared.

After that, as shown in FIG. 30, the ceramic green sheets 50A to 50D,52A, 52B, 114A to 114G are laminated and secured under pressure so thatthe ceramic green sheets 50A to 50D, 114A to 114G are interposed betweenthe ceramic green sheets 52A, 52B to form a ceramic green laminate 58.The lamination is performed while the ceramic green sheets 114A to 114Gare positioned at the center. After that, the ceramic green laminate 58is sintered to obtain a ceramic laminate 60 (see FIG. 31).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 31, the piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelements 18 a, 18 b having the multilayered structure are formedrespectively on the both surfaces of the ceramic laminate 60, i.e., onthe surfaces corresponding to the surfaces at which the ceramic greensheets 52A, 52B are laminated. The piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelements 18 a, 18 b are integrated into the ceramic laminate 60 by meansof the sintering.

Subsequently, the ceramic laminate 60, which is formed with thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b, is cut along cuttinglines C1, C2, C5 to thereby cut off side portions and forward endportions of the ceramic laminate 60. As a result of the cutoff, as shownin FIG. 32, the fixation section 14, the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b,and the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b are formed.However, the portion 20D to be formed into the movable sections 20 a, 20b is in a state in which the mutually opposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 bare partially connected to one another by the crosspiece 112.

Subsequently, the crosspiece 112, which partially connects the mutuallyopposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 b, is cut off to produce thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 in whichpiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b are formed on theceramic substrate 16C integrated with the movable sections 20 a 20 b,thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b, and the fixation section 14.

In the fourth production method, it is enough that the crosspiece 112,which partially connects the mutually opposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 b,is cut off at the final stage. Accordingly, the cutoff procedure can beperformed easily and reliably, and thus it is possible to simplify theproduction steps. Further, it is possible to improve the yield of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10.

The embodiments described above are illustrative of the case in whichthe movable sections 20 a, 20 b, the fixation section 14, and the thinplate sections 12 a, 12 b are constructed by the ceramic substrate 16C.Alternatively, each of the parts may be made of a metal material.Further alternatively, each of the parts may be made to provide a hybridstructure obtained by combining those produced with materials ofceramics and metal. In this case, in order to join the metal materialsto one another and/or join the ceramic and metal materials to oneanother, it is possible to use adhesion with organic resin or glass,brazing, soldering, eutectic bonding, or welding.

Explanation will be made with reference to FIGS. 33 to 40, for example,for production methods (fifth and sixth production methods) for apiezoelectric/electrostrictive device (piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevice 10 h according to an eighth modified embodiment) having thehybrid structure in which the movable sections 20 a, 20 b and thefixation section 14 are made of ceramics, and the thin plate sections 12a, 12 b are made of metal. Therefore, the substrate containing metal andceramics, which is produced by the fifth and sixth production methods,is referred to as the substrate 16D.

In the fifth production method, at first, as shown in FIG. 33, aplurality (for example, four) of ceramic green sheets 50A to 50D each ofwhich is formed with a window 54 for forming at least the space betweenthe thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b, and a plurality (for example, seven)ceramic green sheets 102A to 102G each of which is continuously formedwith a window 54 for forming the space between the thin plate sections12 a, 12 b and a window 100 for forming the movable sections 20 a, 20 bhaving the mutually opposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 b are prepared.

After that, as shown in FIG. 34, the ceramic green sheets 50A to 50D,102A to 102G are laminated and secured under pressure to form a ceramicgreen laminate 158. The lamination is performed while the ceramic greensheets 102A to 102G are positioned at the center. After that, as shownin FIG. 35, the ceramic green laminate 158 is sintered to obtain aceramic laminate 160. At this stage, the ceramic laminate 160 is formedsuch that the hole 130 is formed by the windows 54, 100.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 36, the piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelements 18 a, 18 b, which are constructed as separate members, arerespectively bonded with an epoxy adhesive to the surfaces of metalplates 152A, 152B to serve as the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b. Theseparate members of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18b can be formed, for example, in accordance with the ceramic greensheet-laminating method.

Subsequently, the metal plates 152A, 152B are bonded to the ceramiclaminate 160 with the epoxy adhesive so that the ceramic laminate 160 isinterposed between the metal plates 152A, 152B and the hole 130 isclosed thereby to provide a hybrid laminate 162 (see FIG. 37).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 37, the hybrid laminate 162, which isformed with the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b, iscut along cutting lines C1, C2, C5 to thereby cut off side portions andforward end portions of the hybrid laminate 162. As a result of thecutoff, as shown in FIG. 38, the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device10 h according to the eighth modified embodiment is obtained, in whichthe piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b are formed on thethin plate sections 12 a, 12 b constituted by the metal plates, of thesubstrate 16D, and the movable sections 20 a, 20 b having the mutuallyopposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 b are formed.

On the other hand, in the sixth production method, at first, as shown inFIG. 34, ceramic green sheets 50A to 50D, 102A to 102G are laminated andsecured under pressure to form a ceramic green laminate 158. After that,the ceramic green laminate 158 is sintered to obtain a ceramic laminate160 as shown in FIG. 39. At this stage, the ceramic laminate 160 isformed such that the hole 130 is formed by the windows 54, 100.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 40, the metal plates 152A, 152B arebonded to the ceramic laminate 160 with an epoxy adhesive so that theceramic laminate 160 is interposed between the metal plates 152A, 152Band the hole 130 is closed thereby to provide a hybrid laminate 162. Inthis procedure, when the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a,18 b are stuck to the surfaces of the bonded metal plates 152A, 152B,the hole 130 is optionally filled with a filler material 164 as shown inFIG. 39 so that a sufficient bonding pressure may be applied.

It is necessary to finally remove the filler material 164. Therefore, itis preferable to use a hard material which is easily dissolved in asolvent or the like. The material includes, for example, organic resin,wax, and brazing filler material. It is also possible to adopt amaterial obtained by mixing ceramic powder as a filler with organicresin such as acrylic.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 40, the piezoelectric/electrostrictiveelements 18 a, 18 b, which are constructed as separate members, arebonded with an epoxy adhesive to the surfaces of the metal plates 152A,152B of the hybrid laminate 162. The separate members of thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 18 a, 18 b can be formed, forexample, in accordance with the ceramic green sheet-laminating method.

Subsequently, the same steps as those illustrated in FIGS. 37 and 38 areperformed as described above to obtain thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 h according to the eighthmodified embodiment in which the piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements18 a, 18 b are formed on the thin plate sections 12 a, 12 b constitutedby the metal plates 152A, 152B, of the substrate 16D, and the movablesections 20 a, 20 b having the mutually opposing end surfaces 34 a, 34 bare formed.

When all of the substrate 16D is made of metal, for example, theportions corresponding to the ceramic laminate 160 shown in FIG. 35 areformed by means of molding. Further, thin metal materials may belaminated to form the substrate 16D in accordance with the claddingmethod.

The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device described above can beutilized as the active device including, for example, varioustransducers, various actuators, frequency region functional parts(filters), transformers, vibrators, resonators, oscillators, anddiscriminators for the communication and the power generation, as wellas the sensor element for various sensors including, for example,ultrasonic sensors, acceleration sensors, angular velocity sensors,shock sensors, and mass sensors. Especially, thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device described above can be preferablyutilized for various actuators to be used for the mechanism foradjusting the displacement and the positioning and for adjusting theangle for various precision parts such as those of optical instrumentsand precision mechanical equipments.

It is a matter of course that the piezoelectric/electrostrictive deviceand the method for producing the same according to the present inventionare not limited to the embodiments described above, which may beembodied in other various forms without deviating from the gist oressential characteristics of the present invention.

We claim:
 1. A piezoelectric/electrostrictive device comprising: a pairof mutually-opposing thin plate sections and a fixation section forsupporting said thin plate sections; movable sections provided at firstend portions of said pair of thin plate sections; and one or morepiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements arranged on at least one thinplate section of said pair of thin plate sections, each of saidpiezoelectric/electrostrictive elements including at least one electrodecontaining two portions separated from one another by a slit.
 2. Thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 1, wherein anyone of said movable sections and said fixation section has a cutoffsection, and a part of said cutoff section defines mutually-opposing endsurfaces of said any one of said movable sections and said fixationsection.
 3. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim1, wherein said thin plate sections, said movable sections, and saidfixation section are composed of a ceramic substrate integrated into oneunit by co-firing a ceramic green laminate and cutting off unnecessaryportions.
 4. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according toclaim 3, wherein said piezoelectric/electrostrictive element has afilm-shaped configuration, and is integrated with said ceramic substrateby means of sintering.
 5. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive deviceaccording to claim 2, wherein a gap is formed between saidmutually-opposing end surfaces.
 6. The piezoelectric/electrostrictivedevice according to claim 2, wherein a member which has substantiallythe same composition as a constitutive member of any one of said movablesections and said fixation section, or a plurality of members which arecompositionally different therefrom are interposed between saidmutually-opposing end surfaces, and an area of a surface of said memberopposed to said end surface is substantially the same as an area of saidend surface.
 7. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according toclaim 6, wherein at least one member of said plurality of members isorganic resin.
 8. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according toclaim 6, wherein a hole, which is formed by both inner walls of saidpair of thin plate sections, inner walls of said movable sections, innerwalls of said plurality of members, and an inner wall of said fixationsection, is filled with a gel material.
 9. Thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 2, wherein saiddevice has such a structure that internal residual stress, which hasbeen generated in at least one of said thin plate sections and saidpiezoelectric/electrostrictive element during production, is released byforming said mutually opposing end surfaces.
 10. Thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 1, wherein saidpiezoelectric/electrostrictive element comprises apiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer, said at least one electrode, andanother electrode, both of which are formed on saidpiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer.
 11. Thepiezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 10, whereinsaid piezoelectric/electrostrictive element is constructed in a stackedform comprising a plurality of units each including saidpiezoelectric/electrostrictive layer, said at least one electrode, andsaid another electrode.
 12. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein said pair of mutually-opposing thin platesections extend along a first direction and said slit extends along asecond direction substantially perpendicular to said first direction.